#Romanian communism

[septentrrional]

Today there are 35 years since the communist dictator fled Bucharest. On Christmas it will be 35 years since Romanians executed him.

[nameinconcept-blog]

Culture in the Bukovina Region

"Music is played, laughter is heard, dances are whirling…" "It is impossible to imagine a folk holiday or a wedding in Bukovina without an unrestrained hopak, arkan, or hutsulka."

"In Bucovina, there is no wedding or other party without popular music, happy songs, and festive dances."

"In the Bukovyna region, almost everyone is a musician, singer, and dancer."

"The colors of Bukovyna - is it possible to describe them? They are in the festive clothes of dancers at a folklore festival, and in the works of artists who are in love with this region."

"The colors of Bucovina can be compared with something - They also adorn the clothes of the dancers at the folk festival, and the creations of the artists who loved this land."

"Having visited Bukovyna, immerse your eyes in the colors of folk clothing, embroidered pillows and towels, precious Easter eggs, and the skill of making wooden dishes."

"Being in Bucovina, you will be captivated by the wealth of colors on the folk port, on the pillows and towels, painted eggs, on the masterfully inlaid wooden dishes."

From the book "Буковина" published by "Art". 1989

[evojxc]

please vote for Elena Lasconi.

[officialromaniantranslatiuni]

[grenade-maid]

Signalis, Authority, and History

There's a level of nuance to how Signalis presents the violence of the authority of the nation that doesn't call attention to itself but which I really appreciate. Which is basically just, all the officers and cops and spies who make life hell for people like the Gestalt mine workers, Ariane, and the Itou family--we get little glimpses into who they are in Adler and Kolibri's diaries and despite the propaganda and the authoritative tone they take in official communications, for the most part they don't seem to actually be particularly invested in the hard line of national ideology. They uphold it though, viciously, both because things were worse under imperial rule (we don't get hard details on what it was like but it's mentioned in passing enough that I believe it) and because they're scared that if they don't they will be decommissioned and easily replaced. They are literally stamped out of a production line after all. There's a subtext of well, if I don't do it my replacement will anyway and I'm not trying to die so what's the point of rocking the boat?

I think Kolibri stands out to me most clearly on this because in communications from the block warden regarding Ariane there is emphasis put on how it is unacceptable and suspicious that she should be so interested and invested in art and literature that does not serve the purpose of furthering the goals of the nation. But we know that Kolibris themselves are bookworms, Adlers are fiends for stimulating experiences, and both get miserable FAST when deprived of art and puzzles and entertainment and hobbies. Y'know, just like anyone. Far be it from being a paragon of The Nation only interested in productive labor, we are reminded that the block warden, too, hates this shitty town and wants to transfer but is denied. They're hypocrites, but not monsters, nor brainwashed puppets of the state.

The monstrousness at play is not contained within any particular subset of evil individuals, or even an inherent universal force of evil contained in the broad notion of The Nation. There is no cosmic evil force that makes them all do these things to each other. The monstrousness is within the social systems, the mechanisms of how authority perpetuates on a structural procedural level, held in place by fear and tangible threats of violence, each link in the chain restraining the next through those threats out of fear that if they don't, then they'll be next. Regardless how many, if any, of those people in this chain are true dogmatic hardliners, they must act as such because failing to do so opens them up to danger.

Here then I think of the quote that is so prominent, "Great holes secretly are digged where earth’s pores ought to suffice, and things have learnt to walk that ought to crawl", from Lovecraft's The Festival. This is not just a chilling abstract visual that conveniently evokes a mineshaft-- in Lovecraft's story, this line refers to worms which ate the decomposing bodies of wizards whose wretched souls had remained after death, complete with the terrible powers they gained through contracts with demons. Those worms inherited both their power, and also the evil. The Nation, despite having overthrown the Empire, is built on imperial technology, in particular Replikas and bioresonance. So too, then, we can imply that The Nation inherited with those things some of the monstrousness of The Empire as well. There is no end of history, nor clean break with the past, no matter how violently it may seem to be rejected. That which remains from the past--and something inevitably always does--creates the present.

This is a game that is not shy about evoking East Germany. And I think all of this provides a sophisticated picture of repressive authority that we rarely see in fiction of the English speaking world, especially in games. The year the S23 incident takes place is notably 84, but, frankly, I find this to be more compelling and illustrative than 1984 (and I'm a librarian and have taught English classes so I get to say that). Orwell, let's be honest, presents a fairly one dimensional picture of authority, where people seize power and wield it against others out of seeming mustache twirling evil or malice.

Here though we get a more humanistic view. Authority did not come from nowhere and is not wielded arbitrarily out of gleeful cruelty or mindless brainwashed allegiance. People aren't "just following orders". Individuals have rich inner lives. They make decisions, and those decisions are based in the context they're in. Even the decision to carry repressive tools of the past into the present is a decision that was made strategically with the big picture in mind. Nobody woke up and decided to be evil that day. Everyone operates on self interest, and, we must assume, an earnest desire for things to get better. Even the [spoiler] program which served as an inspirational demonstration of The Nation's power, you can imagine the chain of officers and bureaucrats who genuinely wanted the people of the nation to believe in the future, to confidently trust that everyone was working together towards something great and beautiful. And, through a long chain of those people who couldn't say "No" without being decommissioned, we ended up with something unbelievably cruel.

We get to know Adler and Kolibri and the other officers not to say well they're human too, maybe it wasn't so bad that they condemned all those people to agonizing suffering, but to remember that if we keep looking for true monsters we will not find them. There are no monsters and there are no demons. There are only people making decisions. A better world is possible. A better world, where Adler is just a paper pusher who does puzzles after work instead of signing papers to authorize torture, where Kolibris are librarians instead of spies and cops, where EULEs can gossip and play piano and ARARs can do maintenance on facilities that don't contain torture rooms, is one that would not have led to the Ariane and Elster's tragic cycle and ultimate end.

Authority and its attendant cruelty is not contained, radiating forth from The Great Revolutionary and Her Daughter, it is within the social systems of control. When those two women die, that cruelty will continue so long as those social systems continue. Like Lovecraft's worms, no matter how long dead the evil of the past is, so long as it continues to be fed upon, that evil will not only remain, but evolve into something new in the present. A better world can't be achieved through the death of the old world alone, even if violent overthrow is warranted. There is no end of history. There is no clean break from the past.

"Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living."

Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte

[romanianblr]

romanian anti-communist revolution, 1989 a student tends a small shrine in the middle of the main street outside bucharest university while an older woman watches. the shrine is a cross where people have laid flowers and bread for the dead.

[sunnysagereblog]

Hihii !! Been a long time because some religious trauma did come up (still not anti christian, dw, just heavily uncomfortable around intense christian discussion)

I saw your norwegian moodboard and as we are half romanian and looking to reconnect with our culture, we were wondering if you could do a romanian agere one !! Preferably with more masc stuff !!

Thank youuu !! Hope youre well ^^

Romanian Agere Moodboard

(Sorry this took me awhile to get to. Been swamped with school work lol)

[bruciemilf]

Hey your social media au is funny but why'd you have Dick speak Romanian? Wouldn't it make more sense to have him speak Romani?

I’m more familiar with the Romanian language since that’s what I see in headcanons!! From what I’ve seen, his Romani heritage isn’t developed enough into canon so I could look into it to be absolutely sure. So, I’m sticking to European Romani Dick for me!!

[probablyvampirerpgideas]

Make a Vampire character who just really sucks at hiding the fact that they're a vampire. Like it's really fucking obvious dude, no one is being fooled here, you look like one those feratu.

[nopiedraws]

Oh yea btw ! Coms sheet !

☆ will draw anything but nsfw and heavy gore

☆ I can only use paypal n kofi for now

(bizum if youre from spain)

☆ price is negotiable

By default background is a +15€ but it can vary ! Negotiable

And I do these textured portraits for about 20€ !

Thank you !! ☆

[caitlynmeow]

The girlies, like most Europeans, know a number of languages.

They speak Romanian, English, Italian, French and Latin. Alcina is very serious about this, as her daughters’ education is very important to her. It is the one thing she will never budge on; her daughters are going to be well versed in many languages and read different literatures in their respective language.

Of course, she will not limit them to that, if any of her daughters wants to learn an additional language, she can go right ahead and do that because she will always have her mama’s blessings to do so.

[eggsnatcheskneecaps]

I have a job for the guy that killed Shinzo Abe

[mysimplethoughtsputonpaper]

Balkan childhood (part 1)

[gorillaxyz]

i was talking to rpf girl about dyke nixon today. WE TALKED SO MUCH ABOUY EVERUTHING shes awesome... sigh... i wish she was more into the idea of Going Out Side. like i understand being a hermit but come onn... play with me

we talked about girls we liked today😏 and she rold me shes never been in a relationship etc etc and didnt know what to expect or what she even wanted. but we did talk abt the girls we like on the telly... and she watches like house of dragon stuff AND SHES NUMBER 1 SUPPORT WOMENS WRONGS i love her actually shes so me... i showed her pictures of the ladies i like and i struggled breathing I ACTUALLY GO CRAZY LOOKING AT BEAUTIFUL WOMEN. but yeah... we talked so much... like 3 hours... shes awesome and so so cute... and she likes the ginger ladies😏 SOOOOO TRUEEEE GIRL HIGH FIVE

[barnbridges]

every time i hear someone be like "im eastern european" and then they never talk about their home country or culture with any sort of pride or belonging im like are you actually an american bot thanks

[slugslide]

​Card game printed by Întreprinderea Poligrafică Banat